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by FeugoFox42
Summary: "A great deal was lost when Beacon fell, not including the school itself... But in that time, the most curious of events play out." See how it came to be that an ex-member of the White Fang and the leader of Beacon's prestigious Team CFVY became more than just comrades on the battlefield. Coco x Ilia One Shot


The war was over.

"Long and arduous" were gross oversimplifications of the journey everyone had gone through.

"Long and arduous" glossed over the fact that, for most of the young adults who made it through this all and came out the other side with their lives, they had been fighting a war - that they were woefully unprepared for - since school. Since they first dreamed of becoming Huntsmen and Huntresses in their youths, or when the paths they had initially followed turned foul, and the life of a protector favoured their new moral compass.

"Long and arduous" misses out entirely the darkest chapter in many of these young people's lives; the one night where shit hit the fan in the most colossal of ways, and their way of life was thrown asunder.

A great deal was lost when Beacon fell, not including the school itself. Yang Xiao Long lost an arm to a crazed ex-boyfriend bent on destruction and with it her will to go on for a good few months. Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie lost the place they had called home for nearly a year, a place they weren't wandering orphans from a cursed town in Anima, but people of their merit.

More was lost in the aftermath of it all.

Blake Belladonna lost herself in her fears again, the very same ones that had her running to Beacon to begin with. Weiss lost practically all ties with her family (on further reflection, this may be the only loss wherein the people in question were somewhat thankful), all of Team's RWBY and JNPR lost their friend, teammate and confidante; Pyrrha Nikos.

But while what is lost cannot always be found again, new can be a better stand-in for the old.

RWBY disbanded due to other circumstances, but the moment each girl found one of the others, they ran back into each other's arms. Yang and Blake, after plenty of awkward 'Will they? Won't they? (Why _aren't_ they?!)' moments heading to Argus, finally started dating upon reaching the floating Kingdom of Atlas. They overcame personal demons together and made the other stronger by lifting them up as they were being lifted themselves.

Ozpin reincarnated into the mind of a young Oscar Pine, who grew accustomed to the voice of a man born countless millennia ago in his head over time. Once Salem had fallen, Ozpin relinquished control, and let Oscar be himself for the first time since the farm three years ago. Oscar would be the last, and the man he once was inside breathed a welcome sigh of relief at that fact.

The forces of Menagerie, Atlas, Vacuo, Mistral and what remained of the forces of Vale all joined together at the foot of the Black Castle in the Land of Darkness, and free Remnant of the tyranny that is Salem.

But in that time, the most curious of events play out.

Ruby chose Coco Adel as one of the Commanders of the Army of Vacuo. Disregarding the fact she was one of the only people from her own team's visit to Vacuo she knew, Ruby could say without a doubt that Coco was one of the greatest leaders she had ever come across. She looked up to her in terms of leadership when she started Beacon, but it was only when the caramel haired young woman spoke to her back at Beacon - a week or so before CFVY were sent off on their mission before the Beacon Ball - did Ruby truly respect her.

**~O~O~O~O~O~**

_"__Coco?" _

_"__What's up, Red?" _

_"__I just… I wanted to know how you… did some of the things you did with your team." _

_"__What're you saying, Red? You want to use a few of the ideas?" _

_"__Yeah! I've heard about some of the things you've done; they sound so cool, and I really want to use them for my team!" _

_"__Well, I'm not going to give 'em to you." The look Coco received from the young girl was akin to a kicked puppy, and it took every ounce of control Coco had to not give in to the look. She barely made it. "Look, Ruby. What I do with my team works for my team and me. Why do you think Ozpin gets us talking about what we need to work through with our team as a broader subject, rather than tackling it individually?" _

_"__Because… it's easier for everyone else to understand it that way?" _

_"__Eh… sort of. Look, say there's a target, 50 metres over there," she gestured outwards, just away from where they were in an easy-to-follow given direction, "how would you hit it?" The young girl looked a little sheepish at being put on the spot, but Coco eased her worries as gently as she could. "It's not a test; there's no right or wrong answer. I'm just proving something to you. So, how'd you hit it?" _

_"__Well, I'd be the best person for that. I know it's close range, but I __**do**__ have a Sniper Rifle." _

_"__Okay. You're immobilised from the neck down. You can speak, and you must get your teammates to hit the target instead, which now moves further away whenever it sees someone walking close to it. Hitting that will free you. And it has to be hit; no shooting at it. Now, what do you do?" _

_"__Umm…" Ruby pondered the question for as long as she dared. She learned early on that the quicker the idea, the better. But similarly, the more complex ideas, and therefore the slightly sounder ones, come a little later than that. "If no one can walk close to it, then I'd probably get Blake and Yang to perform Double Bumblebee to hit it!" Coco looked as if she was about to ask about "Double Bumblebee", but Ruby jumped in before she got the chance. "It's super cool! Yang uses the rope on Blake's weapon to spin Blake around as fast she could go, then basically throws her as far as she can. That's normal Bumblebee. But then Blake pulls her rope as hard as __**she**__ can when she's flying towards the Grimm - it's normally Grimm - to bring Yang forward so that __**she's**__ the one to hit the target with even more force than a Bumblebee attack! Plus, Yang is really our punchy person, so only she could hit it." _

_"__Wow," the fashionista admitted, surprised and mildly shocked that the move Ruby had described was so in detail and precise. "That's quite a plan. But I've seen a few of your fights when Goodwitch had us study you guys for improving our techniques - get ready for __**that**__ class next year." Ruby groaned. She was not looking forward to that class next year now; she had this year's classes to worry about first. Little did either girl know that they wouldn't see the end of their current academic year, much less the start of the next one. "I've seen your team attacks, and I would say that the one with the Schnee and your sister would work best." _

_"__Freezerburn?" _

_Coco chuckled briefly. "If that's what it's called, then yeah, that one. See, I said if the target sees you approaching, it moves away, right?" Ruby nodded, and then it dawned on her. _

_"__Ooooh! So if it can't see us approaching, it can't move away. So block its line of sight with Freezerburn and get in close for the hit." The scythe wielder let what she said play again in her mind before she asked Coco another question. "But then how would __**we**__ see the target to hit it?" _

_"__Exactly. See sort of what I'm getting at here?" Ruby shrugged, so Coco explained fully. "As leaders, we have to make the call on what our team does and where they go. It makes the difference. I deliberately chose a method that would work around the target not seeing your approach. But you knew that __**you**__ still needed to see it, so had a method that meant no one walked to it, meaning it wouldn't move. Neither method is wrong, but you as the team leader know what works best for you." _

_"__Wow… that's so much different to what some of the professors say." _

_"__Listen, I know professors are Trained and Professional Huntsmen and Huntresses, but they are teachers first. They had their own teams with their own strategies when they were our age. You are here to learn from them. But as classmates and as fellow leaders, even going as simple as 'just two people', we should help guide one another to make everything easier. We will all have our duties someday, so why not make everyone's lives easier by raising others up to join you, rather than squash them down beneath you?"_

**~O~O~O~O~O~**

Ruby never forgot those words of wisdom from Coco, and that speech she remembered even years down the line was the reason she wanted Coco leading Vacuo into battle against Salem and the Grimm, along with her team, and Team SSSN. Menagerie's leaders were pretty easy to pick as well. Ruby deferred to Blake, being the only one of the core group who had been to Menagerie, and Blake's answer was near instantaneous. It's how Team RWBY first collectively met Kali and Ghira Belladonna - not the best of circumstances, but at least introductions were made. Ghira even mentioned (very loudly and very deliberately within Sun's earshot) how he "much preferred Blake's taste in blonde this time around."

Sun didn't like that he was being talked about in such a way. He was happy for Blake and Yang, but that was a little rude. Kali thought the same and reprimanded her husband in front of the entire Army of Remnant.

It was quite a sight.

Ghira learnt his lesson.

When the Battle for Remnant began, all sides charged, going into the fight believing this to be the last hurrah of Human and Faunus kind. No one showed mercy, on either side. Grimm were felled left, right and centre by bullets and swords, men and women of all races and species buckled under the pressure of fighting waves of darkness incarnate. But when the Vacuo and Menagerie fronts converged to apply pressure to the southern wall of the castle, Coco first laid eyes upon Ilia and Ilia upon her.

For the pair, the battle ceased to exist for what seemed like a lifetime. Coco saw a woman who was shy yet determined, having been living with such a person for years in Velvet. Ilia saw a woman who was oozing confidence in how they held themselves and commanded those under her lead. They both saw a woman worth loving immediately — a woman who gave them a reason to fight as long and as hard as they could.

And fight they did.

The pair kept their followers close, working together as if part of the plan all along. They fought side by side with one another, one fighting up close with her Electric Whip, the other at range with her Minigun. They pushed the south side and broke through in record time, all while the Vacuo and Menagerie Commanders said nothing to one another, merely being near each other and inspiring the other through their presence.

Both Coco and Ilia were present when Team RWBY summoned the Brothers Grimm back to Remnant. Neither was particularly fazed by the appearance of the two beings that created the world they knew. They stood strong.

**"****It appears,"** the God of Darkness observed, **"that there are more of you present than we expected."**

**"****Indeed,"** his brother, the God of Light, added. **"Only Ozma was tasked with reuniting the Relics to summon us back here."**

"Ozpi- _Ozma_, is here," Ruby voiced, the grip on her scythe hard not out of fear, but more to ground her and give her the confidence to speak up to two entities of such power in their world. "We came together to show you how we have united as people. I mean, yeah, we fought to get here and unite the Relics, but it was not against each other; we fought against a common foe." The Gods both turned, and saw Salem for the first time since they left the planet.

**"****My child, what has become of you?"** the elder brother asked, obviously oblivious of the pain he and his brother caused her.

"What has become of me? _You_ did this to me! All I wanted was Ozma - I had lived alone for years, but I had found someone who cared. He left me too soon, and all I asked was for him back. Then everyone was gone!" The rage Salem was emitting could be felt across the battlefield, but even so, that anger remained in check from what it _could_ be. Salem was well aware in her aeons of existence that the Gods of Light and Darkness, while fallible, were all-powerful. More so than even her. Any contest of pure strength would result in a loss. She was, for all intents and purposes, a false God. They were the two True Gods.

**"****By your own doing, by my recollection. You led an army against us, leading to their destruction. And here you are again, with an army behind you."**

"We are not _her_ army," Weiss affirmed as she stepped forward to join Ruby on the front line.

"We know the stakes here," came Yang's addition to the conversation as she too stepped forward, "we know what'll happen if you deem us irredeemable."

Blake stepped forward, joining her team in a line, instinctively grabbing hold of Yang's hand as they had done countless times before this moment. "But if you do believe that humanity truly has no hope, then at least we die together." Blake gasped in surprise when her other hand was filled, but looking to her side, she was thankful to see Jaune there, smiling with acceptance and agreement. Ruby saw this and linked hands with both her sister and her best friend. Weiss extended her hand and let Ren take it, with Nora holding his other hand.

Sure enough, after a minute, there were lines of people from all over Remnant holding hands with one another, accepting their death in unity. Menagerie's and Vacuo's Commanders managed to find themselves hand in hand as well, united in a common cause, but also thankful for this opportunity. The Brothers observed as people by the hundreds all joined hands and stared them down. This certainly was a far cry from how they were greeted last time.

**"** **I believe it is settled, Brother." **

**"****As do I." **

**"****You have shown that you can work together as one, and not fight amongst each other." **

**"****You have found the error of your ways, and returned yourselves to the glory of what we made you."**

In unison, the Gods concluded, **"we deem humanity: redeemed."** At the approval, a large portion of the people cheered and celebrated behind the Leaders and Commanders of Remnant's Army. People clapped and hugged one another in jubilation. And seeing everyone jumping for joy, Ilia seized the moment to pull Coco in and give the woman a long, hard kiss. One the caramel coloured team leader eventually melted into. **"We shall return to this world, and restore everyone with what was lost before."** Team RWBY glanced between one another before Ruby spoke up once more.

"Actually… would you be okay if you _didn't_ come back?"

**"****And why is that?"** the younger brother inquired.

"Well, you see… we'd managed to do all this alone. We are thankful for the start you gave us, but if you stay, it may revert to the way things were before. If we rely on you, then everything we've achieved would be undermined. I mean, all it took was one person, right?"

**"****This is true."**

"We know this is your world; you created it and us. But you know we work together now; you see us as redeemed. We did that on our own, let us continue on our own."

**"****You are wise beyond your years, Ruby Rose,"** the God of Light acknowledged, **"and should the world ever come into disarray, I for one am thankful that there are people like you to guide those who may be lost." **

**"****If it is your wish, then we shall leave this planet alone."** The God of Darkness sounded disheartened at the prospect, despite the pair's removal from all emotions. "Before you go!" Ruby responded, "I have a… request." She had to word this right; for all of their sakes.

**~O~O~O~O~O~**

Air was needed, the pair deduced. So, on necessity, Coco pulled away from Ilia so that they could breathe, huge gulps of air reminding them of what had just transpired.

"Not complaining or anything," Coco began, her cheeks dusted red, "but aren't we normally meant to know each other's names before we get to first base?"

"Coco!" came the cry of outrage from Velvet… somewhere. She couldn't tell where her Faunus teammate was, but she needed only look above head height to spot the giant of a man that was Yatsuhashi, and Velvet would be close by.

"Well, _Coco,_" the Faunus teased on hearing her teammate's call, "my name is Ilia."

"I saw you were with the people of Menagerie," Coco commented as the remaining parts of the team arrived. "You look pretty human to me."

"I do _now_." On cue, Ilia shifted her hair to a luscious fuchsia and her spots to a strong baby pink colour.

"Oh no." Velvet's ears flopped onto her head when she saw Coco lift her sunglasses and let her jaw drop in a way she had only really seen a few times before. "Yatsu, need some room for a love-struck leader." The giant nodded, heading back towards the ships they arrived on with Fox in tow, clearing a path through everyone with words of warning.

"Oh, fuck yes!" With little to no warning at all, Coco ran up to Ilia and scooped her up bridal style, earning a loud yelp of surprise from the Chameleon Faunus. "**RED!**" she called, dragging the silver-eyed Hero of Humanity away from her conversation with the Gods. "I gotta go; my girlfriend requires some urgent CALM; I must answer the call!" With that, she practically ran back to the outskirts of the Dark Lands, Ilia's spots flaring a prominent red in embarrassment.

"Ilia and Coco are dating?!" Blake exclaimed.

Yang, equally as perplexed, spotted Velvet in the crowd. "What? Since when?"

"Just now," Velvet replied in disbelief, "I think."

The Gods simply observed this interaction with incredible curiosity.

* * *

Ilia learnt soon after leaving the battlefield what CALM meant and involved. And boy, did she _love it._

Coco too learnt something about Ilia: she had two traits of the Chameleon. And one could paint many a picture of the ways Ilia's proportionally accurate chameleon tongue worked when the two of them were alone. All of them, I might add, were loved by Coco, if the screaming of the girl's name and the loud curses and proclamations were any indication.

And so, there were multiple rounds of CALM that night. And the following night. And the night after that. By the fifth day, the pair had descended from the unbelievable high they were on, and they let themselves be swallowed by reality.

This wasn't a flash in the pan deal for either of the women; they both saw something, some-_one_, special in that moment. The lengthy kiss (that was borderline making out, if truth be told) on the dark plains of battle, and the four days of impromptu honeymoon period that followed soon after were very much a spur of the moment thing while their adrenaline had spiked. But there was definitely something more.

"What did you see in me?" Coco asked as they lay on the bed, fully clothed and completely unwilling to change that, staring at the stonework on the ceiling. Having been lost in her thoughts, Ilia had to ask Coco to repeat the question, her cheeks turning pink as she did so. "It's fine, hun. I just asked, 'what did you see in me'. You know, back in the Dark Lands?"

"Oh." Ilia knew why, she just found it embarrassing. Then again, she'd had four days of pure R-rated heaven with a bombshell of a woman; embarrassment should be a foreign word to them both now - 'should' being the preferred word there. "It was your effortless confidence," she confessed.

"Really-"

"You just make it look so easy. You don't try to act cool under pressure; you just _are_. You don't pretend you know how to command people on the battlefield; you _know_, and you can deliver. You know you're gorgeous, but you make it look effortless. You make _everything_ effortless; it's almost unfair." Not hearing any response, Ilia's gaze swapped from the ceiling to the woman she lay beside, only to have the woman staring back at her, Coco's eyes glistening like caramel coloured marbles made only for her.

"Hearing that from you," Coco said, her voice light and carefree, the words coming from the heart, "has made my life." Ilia returned Coco's soft smile with one of her own, lost in one another's stare for as long as they dared, then maybe a few minutes more.

"Do you know what I saw in you?" Understandably, the Faunus shook her head at the question. "I saw a person who knew what they were doing, knew what they wanted, had the motivation to do it; all you were missing was the right reason. You had a cause to fight for, yet you had nothing to fight for personally. The best part about that," she continued, shifting her body closer to her girlfriend's, "was that I witnessed you finding something to fight for on the battlefield."

"And I bet you were _so glad_ that it was you, weren't you?" the Chameleon teased, rolling her eyes as she did so. Coco simply laughed, neither confirming nor denying Ilia's statement.

**~O~O~O~O~O~**

The new couple planned a trip to Mistral as their first official date. It was out of the way for both of them - Coco still had things to do in Vacuo with her team, and Ilia's obligations still waited for her in Menagerie - but going out of their way was the whole idea. Blake's parents had already given the okay to the Chameleon to take some well-deserved time off, and the remainder of Team CFVY wished nothing but the best for their leader, who had worked near tirelessly to get them to where they were on the day they saved the planet.

Coco made it clear that they were to meet at a specific little café she had found right near the base of one of the largest waterfalls that had cascaded down from the Kingdom's peak. It was quaint inside the café; two small rooms built for a maximum of 20 people at a push. A third room that housed the little kitchen where the food was made. Owners - a couple, grey and wrinkly in their old age - running the place as if everyone who entered were their children for the time they were there. And as Coco had learnt on one visit, at a time someone less than reputable tried playing up, they'd scold you like one of their children too. The caramel haired Huntress was surprised the old woman didn't get a slipper and start hitting him as punishment for disrespecting his elders.

The pair grabbed a bite to eat and a drink to go. Ilia insisted on paying, but Coco let her win the little back and forth they had regarding that - she had her reasons. From there, the older of the two lead Ilia through the winding streets and clear paths through the city, higher and higher up the mountainside. The couple approached the peak, spotting the outer boundaries of Haven Academy's walls by the time Coco lead them to their destination.

"What is this place?" Ilia gasped as they entered through the unsuspecting front door.

"This," the fashionista replied, gesturing openly at the store behind her, "is my personal playground here in Mistral. It stocks rows upon rows of different clothes, and we are going to try you in so many things, you won't know what to do with them all!"

"W-what?" Her skin flushed a pale grey, and her hair turned taupe in shock at what Coco had said so casually. Well, casual with a side of excitement. Coco was doing this not for herself, but for her. She'd never really had that before, not since her life back in Mantle.

With a soft yet devious grin, the beret toting woman indicated to her girlfriend. "You are a Chameleon Faunus, Ilia. You have the ability to change the colour of your skin, eyes and hair at will, and a tongue that the Gods themselves clearly had a hand in creating, if I do say so myself." Ilia's entire body flushed red in embarrassment at how open Coco was about their, quote; "Patented 'Coco Adel Love-Making' Sessions" in public. Moving swiftly on, she continued. "And I come from a family that has its hand in the fashion industry of Remnant. We are a match made in heaven, and while I love you dearly, I apologise for nothing when it comes to clothes."

Coco grabbed her hand and led her into the store properly as the Faunus gazed at the fabrics and designs that these garments had. It was more than being a kid in a candy store; it was like getting a Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory and being the only one there for the tour.

**~O~O~O~O~O~**

"Love it!"

"But you said that the last few times," Ilia mentioned bashfully as she fiddled with the baggy sleeves, "you can't possibly love them all on me."

"Ilia," Coco tutted, getting up from her chair and making her way over to the Chameleon. Said Chameleon did take a step back at her girlfriend's approach, making Coco's expression soften, even from behind the dark lenses she wore. She wrapped Ilia in a soft embrace when she eventually reached the young woman, letting her relax at her own pace. "Sweetheart," she continued once Ilia had eased away from the stress she was feeling. "You have this ability to make anything look even more fantastic than it already is just by putting it on your body. Like this," Coco stepped back and spun Ilia towards the wall of mirrors flanking her on her left.

The fashionista had found a very traditional kimono dress for Ilia to try. The primary colour of the dress was an orchid pink woven material, patterned with larger coral coloured flowers and vines along the trims, leaving the centre of her chest mostly the solid orchid colour. Adding a splash of contrast in there, there were six individual sky blue flowers, smaller than the main ones, dotted across the fabric. Ilia had also been given a pair of white heeled platforms to wear that exposed the simple light grey socks she was given to wear with them through the straps.

"I don't know, Coco," Ilia admitted. "I think I lose myself in this."

"Exactly!"

Ilia couldn't help herself but turn to face Coco in sheer confusion.

'_And I thought Sun made no sense,_' the Chameleon managed to pick from the thoughts in her head, for she couldn't word good with the rest of her jumbled thoughts clogging up any capacity for forming cohesive sentences to ask Coco what on Remnant she meant by that.

"It's exactly why I chose this colour," she reiterated.

"Doesn't explain it any better the second time around," Ilia quipped back, wording good again.

"Look, you've got a naturally tanned complexion, yes? That means you are limited to really dark colours to make your complexion pop or muted primary colours to blend in and not make a scene, right?" Ilia glanced over at the couple of outfits she had already tried. Sure enough, an ensemble outfit consisting of dark navy jeans, a gunmetal grey tee, a blue and black plaid shirt and some black hi-tops. The other outfit played less with the safety of neutral and cool colours, and instead focussed more on the warmer tones - a deep brown bomber jacket, black three-quarter lengths and her black boots with pronounced gold buckles she wore in. Under the coat, however, was a very out-of-character poppy red crop top that Ilia didn't seem to mind too much.

"Well, the way I see it, you're thinking with too much of a narrow mind." The shorter woman went to protest, but it fell on deaf ears, and Coco ploughed on anyway. "When you were in the… you know what," Ilia thanked Coco for not mentioning the name of the White Fang out loud at the time; even though she and the Belladonnas had done wonders for the name since Adam's death, it was still viewed with the stigma he had left it with those years ago, "you said you did reconnaissance, yeah?"

"Yeah…?"

"So, you had to wear the darkest colour you could - mostly black, going off what I've seen of your old outfit - to make you disappear into the background. And what you couldn't hide under clothing, you shifted your skin, your hair, so that it'd match."

"That's… yeah, that's true," she relented and admitted to Coco. The caramel coloured Huntress smirked as she nodded, happy to know her deduction was proven right.

"Black is a very slimming colour, and it was very mission practical, but we're not on missions anymore. We've got to make you into the style Goddess I know you have in you."

"What? Coco, I'm not a God-"

"Ab bab bab! None of that." Ilia stopped herself from continuing. "So, as I was saying; yes, this kimono washes you out. The colours are very close to your skin colour, and that means it's lost against you. In all honesty, this is meant for someone with much paler skin."

"Exactly, so why-"

"Don't you shift?" Coco finished before Ilia could get a word in edgeways. Ilia had a lot of experience when it came to people telling her what to do when it came to her skin. None of it pleasant. She 'fondly' remembered a particularly gruesome threat she received, saying that she was going to be skinned and her flesh used as a coat that could change colours. At least he couldn't sire any more disgusting minded offspring after she was done with him. But none of those experiences were like what the Minigun wielding Huntress had suggested.

It dawned on Coco that she hadn't actually asked how long Ilia could shift for at a time, so to remedy that, she posed the question; "How long can you hold colours for?"

The question took her by surprise, but Ilia's honest answer of "I've never really tried it for a prolonged time," made Coco nod again.

"Okay. Does it hurt to do it?"

"It's just like breathing for me."

"So I'll assume you can hold it indefinitely," she deduced, "which makes this so much better. Can you shift your skin to a pale natural for me? As you do, try and get some bright baby blue eyes and a pastel purple hair colour."

"You know I can't choose exactly what I shift to, right?" Ilia mentioned, hoping Coco would take the bluff.

"Have you tried?" came the immediate reply. No answer from the Faunus, probably due to the speed at which Coco replied through Ilia for a loop. "Try it. Let's try an Atlas pale skin, baby blue eyes, pastel purple hair. Oh, and let your hair down too." It wasn't _demanding_, but Ilia couldn't shake it. That feeling she was being forced into a situation where she wasn't in control, where she had no choice but to comply or face the consequences of denying that person. But that was just part of her brain telling her that. The other part, the part she eventually listened to, told her that Coco wasn't doing this out of spite, nor was she forcing her to do this either. Coco had said (and she had said it _thrice_ to really nail it in for Ilia) that if at any time she felt uncomfortable doing something, then she would relent and ease back until Ilia was comfortable once again. If leaving made Ilia more comfortable, then the couple would go. Ilia was the one who got to make that choice; the most significant decision in this excursion.

Coco respected her and trusted her. And, in all honesty, she trusted and respected Coco in equal measures. Plus, no one else was watching. Psyching herself up with a deep and steadying breath, Ilia reached up and undid her hair, letting it fall naturally over her shoulders for the first time in public since… wow, it had been so long she couldn't actually _recall_ when she last had her hair down in public. As she did that, she made an effort to picture herself in the colours her girlfriend had suggested. They were so far removed from what she was used to - most of the colours she shifted to were harsh, vibrant colours. Now, she was being asked to do natural colours.

"Holy shit, I think I've fallen in love again."

But if that was the response she gets for it, maybe it was worth it.

"Seriously, look at yourself!" Coco all but demanded. Ilia turned to face the mirrors, expecting something worthy of Coco's exclamation, but nothing like what she saw. The kimono hadn't changed one bit, and yet with the colours Ilia had been told to shift to, it took on a whole new light. With her skin paler and cooler in tone than it is naturally, the coral pink colour of the kimono suddenly popped against skin so light, rather than blending in with the warmness her skin usually carries. Her eyes, now the piercing baby blue Coco asked of her, made the blue flowers pop just as much as her eyes now did. And her hair. Seeing it not only down, but also a pastel shade of purple, changed her look completely. If not for the fact she was looking in the mirror, Ilia would have had no idea who this person staring back was.

"I…" she attempted, but to no avail.

She gave herself a once over.

"That's…?" she tried again, failing just as before.

She again looked at herself in the mirror, looking at her hair, her skin, how the kimono seemed so different on her body now that she herself looked so different.

"Wow," Ilia eventually managed.

"And now you can see why I said I think I'd fallen in love again," Coco sighed, snaking her arms underneath Ilia's and hugging her from behind, her 6ft frame making it much easier to hug the smaller and daintier Chameleon Faunus."You are truly gorgeous, Ilia. A One-in-a-Trillion person I am lucky to say is mine, and that I am hers. You can rock any outfit I give you, any style, any look, and I'm jealous. But I want to give you the confidence to pull all that off," Coco admitted as she planted a soft kiss on Ilia's clothed shoulder. "If you'll let me," she added, making eye contact with her in the mirror.

The Faunus practically purred her answer into her girlfriend's ear. "Coco, if you keep treating me like you are now, then I would gladly let you do whatever you want with me."

Coco knew she was talking about clothes. She knew it. But damn it if Ilia didn't make it so hard not to think about everything else with that tone.

"Do not tempt me," the fashionista shivered with her response, "I will not hesitate to pay everyone to leave this shop and have my way with you right here and now." Ilia could do nothing but laugh.

"Such a way with women. Has that line worked on others before me?"

"Ehh… not really," the caramel haired woman admitted, "but if it works on you now, that's all that matters."

"It doesn't."

"Oh… okay then."

"It's fine, Coco," she reassured, slipping out of her girlfriend's grasp and walking over to another outfit chosen for her, "I know you're more than your money, more than bravado-"

"Hey! It is not 'bravado', okay? It's confidence."

"Uh huh, sure. Anyway, you're more than that. Now, for this outfit," she held the outfit up for Coco to see - a black and white skirt, white shirt and black buttoned vest, "what colours should I shift to for this?"

"Just normal skin tone is fine. Try a two-tone hair colour, if you can. Like Ruby's colours, but less of a crimson, more of a 'red'. If you can't, jet black hair and red eyes."

"Okay." Ilia made it to the changing room before stopping shy of the curtain, swivelling her head to look back at Coco. "Besides, I can't let you have _all_ the fun, can I?" She teased Coco by loosening her kimono belt around her waist, the front opening to the wall inside the dresser. She strutted back inside, letting the garment 'accidentally' fall off her as she walked behind the curtain, revealing a bare, freckled back - scars of an intense battle of the bedroom gracing her skin - and a lone pair of undergarments in the red colour Coco wanted her to change to for her eyes.

Coco stared in shock. And then stared in awe. And then promptly kicked herself into gear and made her way to the changing room at speed, but not too much speed.

Thank the Gods she had already paid everybody to leave.

* * *

I have to thank and dedicate this one to isa5670 on T/umblr for this one. She was the first one I saw come up with the idea for these two together, which lead to me thinking about what Coco would do with Ilia clothes shopping, which lead to this. So thank you again Isa for the inspiration. Also, Barbara-lazuli (also from T/umblr) is currently commissioning a piece for the cover for this fic. Look forward to that when it's here.

This was a good break from everything, so I'm happy to have done something different again.

As always, feedback - good or bad- is most appreciated


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